You Really Should Get Out More

With these 30-minute outdoor workouts, you can buff your body--and still have time to play

Simply taking your running routine out of the gym ups calorie burn by about 5 percent, thanks to wind and varied terrain. And fluctuating outdoor temps further increase the number of calories you torch by about 7 percent because your body has to work to keep your thermostat dialed in to 98.6 degrees. Not convinced? In 2007, researchers in England found that outdoor workouts are nature's Zoloft. When they compared the mental benefits of a 30-minute walk in the park with an indoor jaunt, 71 percent of the subjects who took it outside said they felt less tense afterward, while 72 percent of the indoor crew felt even more stressed.

A harder body and a brighter outlook? That's enough to make us ditch the fluorescents for the sun. So we asked fitness pros to craft some killer open-air workouts. The resulting 30-minute sweat sessions will get your blood pumping at any track, pool, park, or trail. Go on--get out there!